


Happy Beginnings

by HiddenTreasures



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Huddling For Warmth, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2018-05-12
Packaged: 2019-05-05 22:28:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14628347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiddenTreasures/pseuds/HiddenTreasures
Summary: When the Doctor and Rose get caught in the middle of a thunderstorm, they seek shelter in a nearby cave where they huddle together for warmth and have a discussion about the status of their relationship.





	Happy Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Chocolatequeen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chocolatequeen/gifts).



> This is for a prompt on doctorroseprompts about being trapped in the pouring rain advancing the Doctor and Rose’s relationship. 
> 
> And this is for chocolatequeennk who has been craving canon verse Ten x Rose.
> 
> Though I don't make any mentions, this takes place in the middle of series 2, between the Cybermen story and The Idiot's Lantern.

“Ahh, this’ll do nicely!”

Rose shivered and crossed her arms tighter across her chest as she ducked under his arm and into the cave he gestured to. They’d gotten caught up in a thunderstorm during their hike up Mount Brhalig, the tallest point on the planet Farjeta, which was evidently one of the galaxy’s hottest spots.

“Centuries from now, people will flock from all over to see the view,” the Doctor had boasted. “But right now, we are the first people to set foot on this mountain! The planet won’t be inhabited for another couple hundred years. We’re completely alone.”

Rose had to admit, they’d had a nice hike. The Doctor had packed a picnic for them in his pockets, and they’d taken a break from climbing the mountain to eat the turkey sandwiches he’d made before continuing their trek.

When they were about a half hour from the summit—or so the Doctor said—the skies darkened without warning and they were caught in a deluge. At first, Rose welcomed the cool rain on her sweaty skin, but after a few minutes, she was soaked to the bone and shivering.

The Doctor’s face darkened and he’d ran a few paces ahead of her, scouring their environment before the tension in his shoulders relaxed and he ushered her toward a crevice in the side of the mountain.

Presently, Rose looked around at their shelter. It was a small cave, only about ten paces long in either direction, and a ceiling so low that the Doctor’s hair, if it was all sticky-uppy like she liked rather than rain-flattened, would’ve brushed against it. But no matter. It might be small, but at least it offered moderate protection from the pelting rain and the whipping wind she could hear.

“We’ll just wait out the storm, safe and sound,” the Doctor said, and if Rose hadn’t known him so well, she wouldn’t have been able to detect the strain in his voice beneath the chipper exterior.

But she did know him, and she heard the tension and saw the tight lines on his face. Hating to see him so worried, she skipped up to him and wrapped her arms around his. She pulled it tight to her chest, feeling his muscles relax as she did so.

“It’s always an adventure with you, innit?” she asked, smiling up at him with the tip of her tongue poking out.

He smiled wanly at her and said, “This was supposed to be a fun hike. No danger, no running for our lives.” He frowned outside when a crack of lightning lit up the cave. “And certainly no thunderstorms. I specifically checked the forecast. Farjetian thunderstorms are some of the worst around. They always get stuck on the mountain. We might be here for a while.”

Rose rested her chilly cheek against his shoulder, but it didn’t offer much warmth, as he was soaking wet too.

“How long is ‘a while’?” she asked, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice.

But a violent shudder rippled up her spine, and the Doctor felt it. He looked down at her and his brows knit together. He reached out and cradled her cheek in his hand and tilted her head towards him. Rose nuzzled into his touch. As cool as his hands normally were, she welcomed even their meager heat.

“Your lips are going blue,” he said flatly, before letting out a few words that Rose had heard enough times to know he was cursing. “Stay here.”

“N-no!” she protested when he moved towards the mouth of the cave.

“Do you want to die of hypothermia?” he snapped, and Rose was taken aback by the fear on his face and the vulnerability in his eyes. He clenched his jaw and closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. “I’m going to get wood for a fire.”

“How d’you suppose you’ll get it to burn, then?” Rose snarked.

The Doctor took his sonic out of his pocket and wiggled it between his fingers and said, “Gonna evaporate the water.”

Rose blinked. “Well can’t you do that to my clothes?”

“Not unless you want all the water in your body to evaporate too,” he answered. “I dunno about you, but I’d rather that didn’t happen. I prefer my Rose Tyler at full water capacity.”

A flash of heat settled in her heart at the possessive “my”, and she wondered if he even realized he’d said it. Evidently not, because he turned around with a falsely cheerful, “Be back in a tick!”

As soon as he was gone, Rose let out a full-body shiver that she’d been trying to suppress. The Doctor already felt so guilty, she knew, and if he knew how truly freezing she was, he would only feel worse. As it was, Rose was feeling a little lightheaded and exhausted. Even standing felt like a chore.

So she sat down with her back against the cold cave wall and listened to the storm raging outside as she hoped the Doctor would be back soon. She didn’t like the thought of him walking around in this weather alone.

Rose wrapped her arms around her knees and hugged them to her chest, hoping to trap her body heat close to her core. Her fingers were going a bit numb, and upon inspection, they were bright white. She clenched her hands into fists and rested her forehead against her knees.

She must have drifted off to sleep, because suddenly the Doctor was crouched in front of her and shaking her.

“Rose! Rose, wake up! Oh, please wake up!”

She moaned and lifted her head, wanting to tell him to sod off and let her sleep, but the panic in his face and the sight of his hair dripping into his eyes reminded her where she was.

“Oh, gods.” He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hauled her to his chest in a fierce hug. He was trembling as he squeezed her. “I thought you…” He sniffed hard and Rose thought she must be hallucinating because she swore she felt his lips press against her neck. A shiver that had nothing to do with the cold rippled through her, and she leaned closer to him.

“I’ve got the wood,” he said, his voice rough. “I’m gonna dry it and get a fire going. You need to strip.”

A giggle bubbled up in Rose’s chest. Okay, she most certainly must be dreaming now.

“It’s not funny, Rose,” he growled, moving towards the scattered branches at the mouth of the cave. “Your body temperature is dangerously low.”

Rose watched him gather up the wood and aim his sonic at the pile, cursing and demanding the sonic work faster. She scrabbled to unzip her hoodie and unbutton her jeans, alarmed at how she couldn’t quite feel her fingers, but she finally got them undone, and was soon left standing in her relatively dry t-shirt and knickers.

An orange glow lit up the cave, and Rose was drawn to the sudden burst of heat. She stumbled up to the fire and hovered her trembling hands above the flickering flames.

She shivered violently, feeling as though she would never be warm again, when she heard the soft, wet plop of fabric against stone. She turned and squeaked when she saw the Doctor in his pants and vest walking towards her with a bundle of fabric.

“C’mere,” he said gently, unrolling the fabric. Rose saw it was a sleeping bag. “In you get.”

He laid it out near the fire and unzipped it.

“Where’d you get that?” she blurted out to distract herself from staring at the Doctor’s naked, hairy legs.

“I’ve got an emergency pack in my pockets,” he said distractedly. “Come on, Rose. We need to get your body temperature back up.”

“But your body temperature is colder than mine,” Rose said, realizing what he was intending. She was supposed to share a tiny little sleeping bag with the Doctor, her best mate, the man she’d been pining after for two years. She felt her cheeks heat up.

“I can regulate my body temperature,” he said impatiently. “I’ll ramp it up a few degrees. Look, I know this is awkward, but I’d really rather not lose you to a completely preventable case of hypothermia.”

Rose took a deep breath to steel herself before nodding resolutely and crawling into the sleeping bag.

“Budge up,” the Doctor said, flapping his hand at her.

She scooted as far back as she could, with her back to the fire, and watched the Doctor fold his long, lanky body into the sleeping bag beside her. She cursed herself for not rolling over and facing the other direction, because within moments, her front was pressed flush against the Doctor’s. Her breasts squished against his chest. The tip of her nose skimmed against his collar bone. Her thighs pressed against his. Her toes curled against his calf.

But Rose couldn’t bring herself to be embarrassed when she realized how warm he was. She moaned in appreciation and wriggled closer to him. She wrapped her arm around his waist and held him closer. Her skin tingled as it thawed, and Rose never wanted to leave this moment.

“You’ll start feeling better soon,” he murmured, and Rose felt him kiss the top of her head. Twice within an hour, he’d kissed her. Rose wondered idly what it would take for him to kiss her lips.

“I’m already feeling better,” she murmured, nuzzling her face into his chest.

His dual heartbeat pattered against her cheek, and the rhythm was soothing. She buried her nose into the hollow of his throat, and she breathed him in. He smelled like rain and electricity, but underneath it was something sweet and spicy that felt like comfort and home.

She let out a sigh and slipped a leg between his to get closer to his warmth. She barely realized her position until the Doctor sucked in a breath and stiffened. Before she could remove herself from his warmth, she felt him carefully rest his hand at the bottom of her spine and hold her where she was.

Hoping that meant everything was okay, Rose relaxed into him and was amazed to feel him react similarly.

The cave was silent for a few minutes. The only sounds she could hear were their gentle breathing and the crackling of the fire.

After a few minutes, the Doctor shifted and asked, “How are you feeling?”

“Cozy,” she answered. “You?”

“Same,” he said, his voice soft. “Rose, I’m so sorry you were ever in this position. I swear I checked the weather. It was supposed to be a beautiful day. No storms anywhere on the radar.”

“It’s not your fault, Doctor,” she said firmly. She pulled back from him to look him in the eye. His damp hair lay flat on his head and his fringe had fallen into his eyes. Unthinkingly, Rose reached up and brushed it off his forehead. He leaned closer to her touch, and she couldn’t help but card her fingers through his hair again.

“I’m still sorry,” he said.

Rose smiled reassuringly at him, then tucked her head under his chin again.

They settled back into silence as they each basked in the warmth of their cuddle. The quiet intimacy of the moment was almost too much to bear for Rose. How often had she dreamed of sharing a bed with the Doctor and feeling his strong arms holding her close? Too often. And now that it was happening—though not under the most ideal circumstances—it was even better than she imagined. How was she supposed to walk away from this and pretend it meant nothing?

Her heart ached as she tried to ignore the rejection she knew would come. They were only cuddling this intimately because she’d been on the verge of hypothermia. It meant nothing.

She banished the pretend conversation she was having with the Doctor in her head in favor of swapping out legs. She pulled her leg out from between the Doctor’s and replaced it with her bottom leg to warm it up. The angle was slightly awkward, and Rose moved around to try to find a position that was somewhat comfortable.

But after a few minutes of wriggling, the Doctor’s hands grabbed her hips and his voice sounded strained when he said, “Stop moving around.”

“I’m trying to get comfy,” she said.

She took her weight onto her forearm and scooted higher. But her leg moved with her, and the top of her thigh brushed against something thick and firm between the Doctor’s legs. He let out a soft, choked moan and his fingertips dug into her hips. She froze when she realized what she’d just rubbed up against, and she peeked up at him

“I’m sorry,” he rasped, his eyes squeezed tightly shut. Rose’s mind worked quickly, trying to discern what to do or say. But before she could say anything, he continued. “Really, I’m sorry. It’s just… I’ve forced my body temperature to raise. That increases blood flow.”

Rose’s heart fell. “Yeah. Okay. Right.”

“Really, Rose, I’m so sorry.”

She wished he would stop saying that, and she wished her eyes weren’t stinging with tears of rejection and humiliation.

“It’s fine,” she said, her voice a little too harsh. “It’s nothing. It means nothing. I know. I appreciate you helping me warm up. I know it means nothing. You don’t do this. It’s fine.”

A heavy silence overcame them. After a beat, the Doctor said, “I told you I danced before.”

Rose blinked. “What?”

“I’ve danced before,” he repeated. “You know… don’t you remember? Our conversation? About dancing?”

Rose’s mind worked fast, immediately placing the memory of talking about dancing with the Doctor in the middle of a German air raid. But she was struggling to put together what he was saying. Or trying to say, rather.

“I remember,” she said carefully.

“Well there you have it,” he said, as if that solved all of life’s mysteries.

Rose sighed. “Doctor, I don’t know what you mean.”

“Dancing,” he said again, and Rose wanted to tell him he couldn’t use that word anymore. “I’ve done it. So obviously I do that.”

Rose’s heart raced. Why was he telling her this?

“Okay,” she said slowly.

“I just… wanted you to know,” he said quietly. He took in a deep breath and said, “It’s not nothing. Increased blood flow is just a tiny little part.”

“Oh?” Rose asked.

“Well, you know. Not much room in this little bag. Close quarters. With my best mate.”

“Is that all I am, Doctor?” she asked quietly, needing him to stop speaking in riddles.

He sighed and pulled back. Rose copied his movement until they could see into each other’s eyes. His were dark and deep, unfathomably deep, and full of an emotion Rose didn’t quite want to put a name to, just in case she was misreading this entire convoluted situation.

Then suddenly his face was coming closer until his lips pressed to hers. She gasped in surprise and delight, and thankfully her brain shut off and her body took over. Her lips moved against his as she angled her head to the side so his bottom lips slotted between hers. She reached up and twined her fingers through his hair. The strands were damp and soft, and she felt like she could keep her fingers buried in his hair forever.

She whimpered when his lips sucked at her top lip. His mouth moved in a catch-and-release motion, never settling long as he kissed her hungrily. She peeked her eyes open and saw that his were closed with pleasure. Letting her eyes flutter shut again, she focused on the feel of him. His lips were hot and dry against hers, and his tongue flicked tentatively against her upper lip. She opened her mouth to him, and heat flooded her belly at the groan he let out as he slipped his tongue against hers.

His hands seemed to be everywhere. One was at her back, holding her closer, while the other was grabbing the fabric of her shirt by her hip. That hand unclenched and moved to her bum, and she whimpered and pressed herself closer.

He was still hard at her hip, and when she rubbed against him, his lips popped away from hers and he rested his forehead against hers. They both panted, and their breaths mingled hotly in the space between them.

“Is this okay?” he asked, slowly grazing the tip of his nose against hers.

“Yeah,” she whispered. “But… why now?”

“Couldn’t stop myself anymore,” he said.

Rose bit her lip. “And what if we go back home, and we’re safe again, and you remember all the reasons you were stopping yourself before?”

The Doctor sighed and pressed his lips to her forehead.

“I’ve been struggling for a while now to let you know I’ve wanted to move our relationship from friendship to more,” he admitted. “Our hike today… assuming I didn’t lose my nerve, I was going to kiss you at sunset and ask you on a proper date.”

Rose’s jaw slackened in surprise. “You were?”

“Mhm. So I need you to know that this is it for me, Rose,” he said seriously. “If we do this… if we become more… this is a permanent step forward. This can’t be something casual. Not for me.”

“For me, either,” she replied, feeling like she might float with how happy she felt. “I don’t want anything casual with you Doctor.”

He pressed a finger to her lips.

“Let me explain,” he requested. She nodded. “Time Lords didn’t really do this. Relationships. Unless it was for some sort of gain, political or otherwise. Once one achieved the rank of Time Lord, emotions and attachments were seen as a weakness of sorts. Relationships were too messy. Towards the end, even Gallifreyans ventured away from more traditional relationships. Sexual relationships were unheard of. Looms were created for procreation.”

Rose wrinkled her nose. “That doesn’t sound fun.”

The Doctor chuckled. “It wasn’t. But I’ve always been a bit of a rebel. Hence why I ran away. And the point I’m trying to make is that a romantic relationship is serious for me, because where I grew up, relationships were a very serious business.”

Rose reached up and rested her palm against his cheek. He relaxed at the touch, and she rubbed her thumb across his cheekbone.

“Doctor, a romantic relationship is serious for me, too,” she said. She looked into his eyes and before she lost her nerve, she said, “I love you.” He inhaled sharply, and Rose loved the slow, joyful grin that cross his face. “I have for a long time. And I need you to know that there is no one else I want. There will never be anyone else for me. You are my happy ending.” She wrinkled her nose. “Only, it’s not an ending. So I guess you’re my happy beginning.”

The Doctor moved quickly, and Rose’s face was suddenly buried in his neck as he crushed her to him. She wrapped her arms around him and ran her fingers through the soft hairs on the back of his neck as he whispered, “Oh, Rose. You’re my happy beginning, too. You are the only one for me. Because I…” Rose’s heart pounded in anticipation, and tears prickled her eyes when he said, “Because I love you, too. So much more than you could possibly believe.”

She tilted her head up and pressed a series of kisses to the underside of his jaw, delighting in the hum he let out. She kissed her way up his jaw and to the corner of his mouth, before she covered his mouth with hers.

This kiss was gentler than the one they shared before, and their lips met and parted sweetly. When the Doctor pushed at her hip, Rose willingly rolled onto her back.

But she squeaked and rolled towards him when she felt and intense heat at the back of her neck.

“I guess we shouldn’t do this so close to the fire,” the Doctor mused.

He unzipped the sleeping bag, and Rose shivered against the gust of cold air that invaded the warm space they created. She then shrieked out a laugh when he bent down and grabbed the edges of the sleeping bag and dragged it and her a few feet away from the flames. When he straightened up again, Rose’s belly clenched when she saw the tent at the front of his pants.

He was oblivious to her ogling as he crawled back into the sleeping bag and on top of her. His weight was comforting, and Rose pulled him closer.

“Now, where were we?” he murmured, before he caught her lips in another kiss.

In all of the fantasies Rose had about making love with the Doctor for the first time, none of them included a cold, dark cave. But as the Doctor kissed every inch of her skin, as he touched her with reverent hands, as he trembled with desire above her, as he whispered words of love and devotion into her neck, as he cried out her name when he reached the zenith of pleasure, Rose knew she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. It didn’t matter where it happened, it only mattered that it happened, and they both wanted it.

His breath was hot and humid against her collarbone and his hair tickled her nose as he rested on top of her. Her muscles were weak and shaky, and she’d never felt happier or more loved.

She leaned forward and brushed his hair off his damp forehead, then pressed a kiss to it. He hummed and looked up at her. He rested his chin against her breasts and smiled at her, a slow, lazy, sated grin that made her ache.

“I love you,” she whispered, continuing to pet his hair.

His smile widened into a thing of pure joy, and he ducked his head to press a kiss to the top of both breasts. He then leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers. “Rose Tyler. I love you, too.” And then he kissed her again.


End file.
